Hey peeps! Laski is here with another update for Hidden Cry...about time...oh I dunno. Anyway, I'm going to try to update every Monday if I have the time...just so you know. All right, before proceeding to the chapter, I would like to thank Shelbers(I'm glad you're back! And I'm also glad that you liked the idea behind the previous chapter...and I know that it was a classic interruption...but anyway, thanx for the compliments!), csi-sam-sanders (thanx for another review and I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm still considering the publishing of the other fic but I dunno yet...), Gregsgirl4ever (I had no problem explaining the whole Latino thing...I was very happy to do so! Thanx for the compliments! Very muchappreciated!) and CatherineLouise (I know that the direction seemed a bit odd but here it gets more interesting...at least...I think so anyway...but your spidey senses maybe right...) for reviewing. Not sure how this one looks but anyway...on to the chapter!

Thought it was about time I introduced another OC onto the story...anyway, the same disclaimer as always...

Chapter 10
Reunion and How to Live with Temptation
Adri

"Thanks for listening Adri..." Lindsay said after telling me her boy troubles. I still think that I'm the wrong person for advice of males...take a look at the track record...but I don't have the heart to tell Lindsay that. "You're kinda like the big sister I don't have..."

"That's sweet," I said as I finished up my last spoonful of ice cream. She walked over to me and hugged me in response. "Your welcome..."

"So..." she began as she let go of me and sat down. "Do you like Greg?"

"As a friend? Yeah...he's been a great one to me..." I said without thinking much.

"No, I meant as more than that..." Lindsay said.

"Well...I uh..." I tried to find my words.

"Guess you've thought about it..."

"Isn't it soon?" I asked.

"Nope..." Catherine said as she came in. I bit my lip in embarrassment..."Love has no exact time..."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Catherine responded as she lost herself in her thoughts. "I remember meeting this one man years ago. He was a heck of a lot better than Eddie but back then I didn't notice it. Now I regret it deeply...I let him go...but if were able to go back in time and make the choice again...I'd take him...we only looked at each other from the club and I knew that he was special...after talking to him for a few seconds, I realized that he saw me as a real woman and not some piece of entertainment...we talked for a few more hours and we went our separate ways. We say each other a few more times and heck, we even kissed. The feeling to this day barely leaves my memories..."

"Maybe fate had it inscribed for us another chance..." I heard a familiar deep voice say. I looked at the door to see my father. Catherine turned around at the sound of the voice and she couldn't believe it.

"Dad?" I asked, snapping them out of the trance. He walked over and hugged me and then turned to Cath. I suddenly remembered the story he'd tell me after I turned nineteen. "She's the one you met while we lived here in Vegas!"

"Right..." he said as he took Catherine's hand and brought it to his lips. "I'm very happy to see you again señorita..." he said as he kissed her hand. Catherine blushed slightly and Lindsay and I couldn't believe it.

"Um..." I began as I began to pick up the mess. "Let's leave them alone to catch up..." I whispered to Lindsay. She nodded and helped me clean up. I picked up the dirty dishes and she picked up the reading material and we quitely left, leaving them to sort things out and catch up. "Can you believe it?" I asked as we reached the break room.

"No!" Lindsay said, squealing slightly. "To think, we were talking about you being the big sis I don't have..."

"Yeah I know...to think that it could lead to that...I mean...my dad's really got it for your mom...he'd tell me the story every day until I moved to Italy..."

"And my mom for your dad..."

"What are you two squealing about?" Nick asked.

"Uh...nothing big Nick..." I said as Linds gave me one of the reading materials she brought in.

"By the way, I went by to check on the results earlier but forgot to ask..." Nick began.

"Oh...they should be printing out soon..." I said in response.

"Who's that man that's talking to Catherine in DNA?" Grissom asked as he came in. He then noticed that I was out of office... "You should be in DNA you know..." Grissom said, scolding me slightly and leaving the room.

"Yeah I know," I said as I opned the "book".

"It's printed backwards...you should send it back to the company..." Nick commented as he noticed how I read.

"Nope...then I'd ruin it..." I said, not bothering to look up.

"Really?" Nick asked after my answer, he seemed intrigued about it.

"Yeah," I said as I looked up. "This is Manga and it's printed the very same way that it was written, meaning, right to left," I explained.

"Manga?" he asked. "Isn't that sleeve in Spanish?"

"Yeah...but it also mean's Japanese style comic books(A/N: I think that's the rough translation...). Most if not, all anime is based on these," I said as I kept reading.

"You're getting wierder every day..." Nick said as he began to make his way outside.

"And that's how I like her..." Greg said, smiling, as he came in. I tried to hide my blush with the Manga I was holding but I had no such luck...Greg saw it...and decided to pester me about it... "You shouldn't hide that color...it's cute..." he said as his voice trailed off. Linday was giggling at that point.

"Lemme guess..." I began as the color went down a little. "You like that too..."

"Yeah..." he said as he walked over to me and bent down to whisper in my ear. "I don't like to see you sad..." he whispered, my eyes teared up a little and I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile. "You..."

"Yes," I interrupted as I placed the Manga on the table and reached out to hug him. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me in return. "I'm going to be okay..." I whispered softly.

"Me too..." he whispered as we finally let go. I straightened up again as Warrick came in for a cup of coffee.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" he spoke as he finished serving himself.

"Sure..." I said as I placed my Manga on the table again.

"How do you live with temptation?" he asked as he took a sip.

"What do you mean?" Greg asked as he sat down next to me.

"Well, I just questioned this suspect and he said that he'd been tempted to do a lot of things to the victim but had a hard time doing so..." Warrick answered.

"Well..." I began, this topic made me really uncomfortable. "There are ways to deal with it but it also depends on what the temptee is," I continued. Warrick eyed me curiously and waited for me to keep going. "For example, I love chocolates and if I were tempted to have one of those unbelievable delicious morsels..." I said, soon realizing that I had made myself hungry for one. "Excuse me for a moment..." I said as I reached for my purse and pulled out a handfull of Hershey's kisses. Warrick and Greg laughed as I uwrapped one and popped it into my mouth. I quickly ate a few and continued. "As I was saying...if I was tempted to eat chocolate...like I made myself crave for one, I would likely eat it or try to find something to get my mind off it...but if it were a person, we'd most likely act it if we're sure of the response we'd get...or just try to see how long you can hold out until..." I was tearing up a little, memories clouding my thoughts. "Until you just can't hold it in or get it out of your head..." I said softly as finally, two tears fell. I needed to leave and fast... "I'll see you later guys...I've got something to work on..." I said as I nearly ran into DNA which was empty.

Greg

"Did I say something wrong?" Warrick asked looking at me and Lindsay.

"Maybe..." I said as I got up.

"She seems to know a lot about it..." Warrick commented as I started to leave.

"Yeah..." I said as I left for DNA. I found it to see Adri curled up in her chair, hugging her knees. "Adri?" I called out weakly as I stepped in. She looked up, tears falling down her cheeks at full speed. I just stood there, not sure of what to say... "Care to share what went through your head?" I finally asked.

"Greg..." she began in a soft voice, nearing a whisper. "Have you ever been tempted to hit me?" she asked weakly. Instantly understanding, I walked over to her and kneeled down to her size. I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, my lips feeling the softness of her skin. I stood up and started to leave but then remembered her question.

"I've been tempted to do that..." I said with an embarrassed smile. I turned and left, leaving her in her thoughts for just a while. I watched her from a distance. She burried her face in her knees for a moment and looked up with a nervous smile. She then closed her eyes briefly and stretched. She then opened them without sheding tears and half smiled before getting back to work. I made my way back to DNA to check on her, my concern getting the better of me.

"Anything else Greg?" Adri asked as I came in.

"How'd you know it was me?" I asked while staying near the doorway.

"Your walk..." Adri commented as she turned around, beaker in hand. "It's peppy..."

"You could tell by my walk?" I asked, confused.

"The way you step...I can sometimes tell people apart because of it..."

"Nick was right..."

"I keep getting wierder?"

"Kinda..."

"But you haven't seen my true colors yet Greg..."

"I know..." I said as I made my way over to her. "But I don't need to see much to know that you're someone different...and that I would like to go out with you..." I began.

"I don't feel up to it..." she said softly. "I'm not..."

"It's okay..." I began. "I only brought it up on a whim...I know you're still a little hesistant for such things..." I explained. I reached out and played with her hair as I sat down next to her. "I just want you to know that I like you...and I'd like to see where it could go..."

"Right now I don't..." she said simply. I felt hurt. "...I just don't want you deeply involved in this mess until I can sort it out..."

"I get it...I think..." Adri laughed lightly and turned to me.

"Greg...you've been such a great friend to me...I don't want to lose that now..."

"So there's chances?"

"They could be there...I just need to focus better...but don't press your luck..."

"Will do Dri..." I said with a smile. She smiled back and ruffled my hair, messin' up the spikes. "What was that for?"

"For being a tricky one..." she said as she finished up the sample she was working on.

"Okay," I said, giving up on the suject for a while. "You're the one to talk..."

"Hey...I have reasons to be tricky..." Adri defended as she took off one of the gloves.

"Adri, could I ask you a favor?" asked Catherine as she interrupted the conversation.

"What do you need?" Adri asked as she turned to see her.

"Well...I took the night off tomorrow so um...could you babysit?" she asked as suddenly, a man with a strking resemblance to Adri wrapped his arms around her. Was that...her dad?

"Sure...daddy, you know where to drop her off..." Adri responded. This was odd...

"I promise to spend a few days here with you...I just never expected to see you again cariño..." Adri's dad said while giving Catherine a peck on the cheek.

"Dad?" Adri said, getting his attention. "Please do that somewhere else...I don't want to see that right now..." Adri said with pleading eyes.

"As you wish dear..." he father said as he took Cath's hand and left.

"They're dating?" I asked. "Since when?"

"They fell in love years ago...but Cath chose Eddie over him instead..." Adri explained with a heavy sigh.

"Can't wait until you finally find it?" I asked for her.

"Yeah...but I'm happier now than a few years back..." she said softly. "Thanks to you..." she said nervously.

"I'm glad," I said as I hugged her. "You deserve to be happy..."

"Thank you..." she whispered softly as we separated. A few hours later, we went home together and had a quick breakfast before heading to bed. The next few days Adri or I babysat Lindsay on the afternoons while Adri's father and Cath went out. On one occasion though Adri left me alone at the house so she could spend the day with him. He was a great person and I could tell that he was very proud of Adri, as to not intrude on their father daughter bonding, I rejected the invitation to the lunch and movie they had decided as their activities for the day. Adri's case wasn't being worked on much but we all still had high hopes. I had just arrived at the lab alone, just like the past three nights to see Adri working away in DNA already.

"Hey Adri..." I said as I came in.

"Hey Greg," she said as she turned to see me. She finished working on the GCMS and stood across from me.

"Long week..." I commented.

"You're telling me..." Adri said while rolling her eyes at me. She then tried to walk but nearly fell.

"You all right?" I asked. She then touched her forehead as she regained her balance and straighetened up. I then thought about the fact that lately I hadn't seen her at home and her room had remained the very same the past few days. "How long have you been here?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

"Oh about three to four days..." she said with a twirl of her hand.

"Straight?" I asked loudly, recieving a small nodd from her. I couldn't believe it...I hadn't even noticed...she seemed fine the past three days...but then again...she does keep a few changes of clothes in her locker. "You need bed rest! You could make a mistake that could let a guilty man go free!"

"You sound like Grissom..." Adri said sleepily. "But I'm fine," she said as she tried to walk to me. She misstepped and began to fall but I grabbed her on time.

"You can't even walk...you're exahusted...you need rest before you land in the hospital..." I said as I helped her up. "When's Mia coming back?"

"Tomorrow..." Adri said weakly.

"You could've told me you were tired...I could've worked Mia's shift..." I argued. Adri winced at the tone my voice had taken.

"I decided against it..." Adri agrued in a weak voice.

"Please tell me you've at least eaten something these past few days," I begged as she nearly collapsed again.

"Yes!" Adri cried in a firm voice. "The other reason I didn't say anything is because I have a throbbing headache caused by bad memories that haven't gone away...I'm not made of stone!"

"You never said you were! You're entitled to have weaknesses and you're entittled to have problems too..." I said, my volume going down a little. "You shouldn't consider yourself as one," I said softly, looking her overworked body up and down. "You're going home!" I said firmly.

"No!" Adri cried. "I've got work to do..." she said as she turned around. Man she was being stubborn...

"Oh no you don't," I said as in one movement, lifted her off the tiled floor and cradled her in my arms. She then yawned slightly and pouted. "I'm taking you home."

"Fine...go ahead...see if I care."

"You want to sleep and you know it...you're just afraid of the memories to catch up to you...I'll work the rest of your shift while you sleep...if anything, just call me and I'll be right there..." I said as I walked out of DNA and headed to my car. Deciding to take Adri's instead, I asked her to unlock the car for me so I could place her in the backseat. As I did so, she let out a weak sob. "I'm only doing this because I'm worried about you...right now, I could care less of the evidence..." she weakly smiled at my words as I closed her door and got into the driver's seat. She then handed me the keys over my shoulder and I started the car and the average, quiet ride home. Once there, I got out and opened her door to see her sound asleep, like a little girl...if she heard that, she'd have my head. Laughing to myself, I undid her seat belt and got her out, carrying her the same way as before. Closing the door with my back, I made my way inside and towards her room. Colin was right behind me, curious as to why I was carrying his owner. Once inside her room, I set her down on her king size bed gently and turned her over so I could remove the Lab coat to take it back with me.

"Greg?" Adri called out weakly.

"Yeah...it's me," I said softly. "We just got here..." I whispered as I pulled off the covers on one side of the bed.

"Can you get me the make up remover and some cotton pads from the bathroom?" she asked softly while trying to sit up. "I'm really tired, I'll admit it now...but I think I can do that..."

"No problem..." I said as I went into the bathroom. "It's in the medicine cabinet right?"

"Yeah..." Adri said as I opened the cabinet and spotted them. I got the items she asked for and closed it, making my way back to the room. Adri had already turned on the AC unit. I handed her the items she asked for and I signaled her to turn around so I could remove her necklaces for her. "You shouldn't be doing this you know..." she said softly as I took off the first one.

"I know..." I said in return, taking off the second one. "I just want to..." I said while removing the last one and placing them all on the nightstand.

"I'm done..." Adri said as she tossed the cotton pads in the garbage and placed the conatiner on the other nightstand. She turned to me and I could see the dark circles under her eyes, which disappointed me...I thought she knew better...

"Adri..." I began as I helped her get under the covers. "You are not moving from this bed, you need the rest...if anything happens, just call my cell...all right?"

"Yes..." she said softly as she closed her eyes. I leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, treating her like a child yet at the same time, like someone I care for deeply...

"Good night," I whispered as I made my way out of the room and turned off the lights. I made my way outside, locking the door, just in case. I got into her car and drove back to the lab, just in time to see the others waiting for me outside. Uh-oh...

I dunno if that's much of a cliffy...but anyway, I'd really appreciate a review!

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